Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Sly Yojenna’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Sly Yojenna’, characterized by its compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong to ligulate-shaped ray florets, red purple-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering about September 26 th  in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Sly Yojenna’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially grown as a garden Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Sly Yojenna’.

The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yojenna, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,532. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within a population of plants of the parent selection in December, 2003, in Alva, Fla. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence color and good form and substance.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in Alva., Fla. in February, 2004. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Sly Yojenna have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Sly Yojenna’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sly Yojenna’ as a new and distinct garden Chrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong to         ligulate-shaped ray florets.     -   5. Red purple-colored ray florets.     -   6. Natural season flowering about September 26^(th) in the         Northern Hemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed primarily from plants of the parent, the cultivar Yojenna, in ray floret color as ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more red in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Yojenna.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Yobrandi, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,134. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Yobrandi in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were taller and more upright         than plants of the cultivar Yobrandi.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of the cultivar Yobrandi.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were lighter         red in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar         Yobrandi.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Sly Yojenna’.

The photograph at the top of the sheet is a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Sly Yojenna’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Fletcher, N.C. during the summer in an outdoor nursery and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial garden Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 29° C. and night temperatures averaged 16° C. Plants were grown in 15-containers, exposed to long day/short night conditions and pinched about two weeks later. About two weeks after the pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were started. Plants used in the photographs and for the description were about three months old. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Sly     Yojenna. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the     Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yojenna, disclosed in U.S. Plant     Pat. No. 17,532. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at temperatures of             about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About ten to twelve             days at temperatures of about 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.             Stems upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly             mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching habit,             about four to five lateral branches develop after removal of             terminal apex (pinching) each with numerous secondary             laterals; dense and full plant habit. Strong and vigorous             growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 26 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 31 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 24 cm. Diameter: About             8.5 mm. Internode length: About 1.2 cm. Strength: Strong.             Texture: Pubescent. Color: 148C.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 5 cm.             Width: About 4.7 cm. Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Obtuse with             truncate tendencies. Margins: Palmately lobed, sinuses             between lateral lobes mostly parallel. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Fine pubescence; veins prominent on lower             surface. Color: Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper             surface: 147A; venation, 147B. Developing and fully expanded             foliage, lower surface: 147B; venation, 147C. Petiole:             Length: About 2 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower             surfaces: 147B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with             elongated oblong to ligulate-shaped ray florets.             Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk and             ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.             Inflorescences faintly fragrant.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower about September 26^(th) in the Northern Hemisphere.             At other times of the year, inflorescence initiation and             development can be induced under short day/long night             conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Early             flowering habit; plants exposed to photoinductive short             day/long night conditions flower about 51 days later.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about 3.5 weeks in an outdoor nursery.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 27 to 28 inflorescences             develop per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1.3 cm. Diameter: About             1.1 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: 53A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4.7 cm. Depth (height):             About 1.8 cm. Disc diameter: About 5 mm; inconspicuous.             Receptacle diameter: About 1.6 cm. Receptacle height: About             5 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong to ligulate.             Orientation: Initially upright, then about 45° to 60° from             vertical; eventually perpendicular to peduncle. Aspect:             Initially incurved, then mostly concave. Length: About             2.3 cm. Width: About 7 mm. Apex: Slightly emarginate. Base:             Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 150 arranged in about 12 to 14 whorls.             Color: When opening, upper surface: 53A. When opening, lower             surface: 182B to 182C. Fully opened, upper surface: 59A to             59B; color becoming closer to 180A with development. Fully             opened, lower surface: 183D; color becoming closer to 179C             to 179D with development.         -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Length: About 6 mm.             Diameter: About 2 mm. Number of disc florets per             inflorescence: About 13. Color, immature: Apex: Close to             14A. Mid-section: Close to 10D. Base: Close to 157A. Color,             mature: Apex: Close to 12A. Mid-section: Close to 1D. Base:             Close to 157A.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 18             arranged in about one or two whorls. Length: About 8 mm.             Width: About 4 mm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base:             Truncate. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, waxy. Texture,             lower surface: Pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to             137B. Color, lower surface: Close to 137A.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 3.7 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm.             Angle: About 45° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to 148A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen number: About five             per floret. Filament length: About 1 mm. Filament color:             Close to 1C. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther shape:             Oblong. Anther color: Close to 12A. Pollen amount: None             observed. Gynoecium: Pistil length: About 6 mm. Stigma             shape: Bi-parted. Stigma color: Close to 2C. Style length:             About 3 mm. Style color: Close to 2C. Ovary color: Close to             157D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and to tolerate     temperatures from about 0° C. to about 38° C. 

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Sly Yojenna’ as illustrated and described. 